Hundreds of drivers were stranded near exit 14 on Interstate 5 in Ashland, Oregon, after a large stretch of the highway was shut down for 18 hours.
The 136 mile closure of Interstate 5 between Ashland, Oregon, to Redding, California, was ordered by ODOT and Caltrans due to dangerous and snowy conditions. The closure lasted from 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening until 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday
“Part of that is just the blizzard that was going on and also just some of the extractions that [Caltrans] needed to do as far as some of the big trucks on Anderson Grade between Klamath River and Yreka,” said Gary Leaming of the Oregon Department of Transportation. “[It was a] coordinated effort – wish they had gotten it open a little earlier.”
The area received a record 8.3 inches of snowfall during a 24-hour period.
Some drivers were stranded without food and water.
“It’s a big problem you know, some drivers they don’t have food,” said Navjot Ghuman, a trucker hauling beer from Portland to Los Angeles. “Luckily, … we took the exit and now we have something to eat but not all the drivers carry food.”
ODOT and Caltrans started reopening the highway around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, letting a few drivers out at a time. It wasn’t until 2:00 p.m. that the highway was fully reopened — an 18 hour closure in total.